Worcester custodial kidnapping leads to 2 arrests

Police over the past two weeks investigated a custodial kidnapping that resulted in the arrest of a city boy’s father and aunt in New York.

The 3-year-old boy at the center of the investigation was unhurt, and is in good condition, police said. He is in the custody of Child Protective Services in New York, and that agency is coordinating the boy’s return with the state Department of Children and Families

Police said a woman told police on Dec. 10 that her son’s aunt — the sister of the boy’s father — was coming to the city by train from New York City. The aunt, Sharima Rodriquez, wanted the boy’s mother to pick her up at the train station. When they met, the mother told Ms. Rodriguez she had to go for a job interview, and Ms. Rodriguez volunteered to watch the boy while she was gone.

But when the mother came back to the train station, her son and Ms. Rodriguez were gone, police said.

When contacted by the mother, Ms. Rodriguez allegedly told her to call the boy’s father, Bennie Rivera, who told the mother the boy was heading back to New York.

Police said the mother made repeated attempts to get her son back, including making a trip to New York City, where she spoke with policethere. Law enforcement in New York and Worcester started coordinating their efforts, police said.

According to police, they obtained warrants for kidnapping of a child under 16 against Mr. Rivera and Ms. Rodriguez.

Wednesday, detectives in New York arrested the pair, and the boy was located and taken into custody.

The mother was notified of the arrests and updated on her son’s location, police said.